Street Fighter IV

"Return to form? Or a slap in the face to the fanbase that kept the series alive?"

Introduction –

It's been almost 10 years since the last entry into the Street Fighter franchise. Street Fighter 3 Third Strike (3S) was released in 1999 is considering one of the greatest fighting games of all-time and is still being played competitively at major tournaments to this day. Street Fighter IV (SF4) has a lot to live up to, and in some ways it does, while in others it suffers for trying to pander to a market that has long stopped caring about the series.

Gameplay –

The gameplay of Street Fighter IV is a mixed bag, mixed as in it takes and drops elements from past SF games to create an experience that seems new to casuals, but is old to everyone else. The gameplay feels closest to a combination of 3S and Super Turbo (ST), but doesn't play as well as either game on its own. In reality from a game play perspective; there is no reason to play SF4 over 3S. The game is slow and has the more movement issues then those that plagued the Street Fighter EX Series (SFEX), which was Capcom's first attempt at a 3D SF2 sequel.

There are issues with hit boxes, the focus attack is basically a nerfed version of the parry system, and the combo system doesn't generally make as much sense as it did in previous games. Why can you do a F+HK into a Tiger Knee with Sagat, but not into a Tiger Uppercut? But an EX Tiger Uppercut works? That doesn't make sense.

Then there is the ridiculous Ultra Combo Revenge system. Can someone explain why your opponent gets an Ultra after you hit them like four times, but it takes almost 3 rounds to get a regular Super? Then the fact that 95% of the Supers are just a weaker version of the Ultra is ridiculous. Every character that has appeared in a previous SF game has had more than one Super, so why not use one for the Ultra and a different one for the Ultra to add some variety and more strategy? Akuma(Gouki) has TWO Shun Goku Satus (Raging Demons), instead of a more sensible combination of Shun Goku Satus for the Ultra and Metsu Gou Haduken or even Messatsu Gou Shoryuu for the Super. I would much rather have either Street Fighter Alpha 3's 3 Super ISM, or 3S's pick from 3 Supers system any day before this one.

Another problem I have is the complete lack a stun bar. This was a small but useful feature from 3S that was removed. With all the talk about how this game is supposed to be so much more accessible to casuals, I'm surprised it was removed. Now to know how much stun each particular move does, you have to go into training and learn it yourself. It takes something as simple as watching a meter go down, and makes it more complicated for no reason.

Story –

Ah the story, normally I don't care about storylines in Fighting games, but I know some people do, so I'll talk about it. The story in Street Fighter IV is a complete joke. Capcom walks all over any type of canon and continuity that had between previous games.

The game is set between SF2 and SF3, basically as an excuse to bring back SF2 characters and disregard SF3. I mean, I have no problem with them bring back SF2 characters as bonuses like in Street Fighter Alpha 3, but Capcom lost an opportunity to truly bridge the SF2 and SF3 fanbases, and have a sort of Dream Match Game. They can't add Dudley or Alex, but Rufus is ok? Not by me.

Remember how the official ending to Super Turbo is that Akuma jumps in and does a Shun Goku Satus on Bison (Dictator) to kill him? Well guess what, the move that is supposed to destroy your soul, couldn't kill Bison and he is back. Or remember how while Ryu was winning the SF1 Tournament and scaring Sagat's chest, Ken was watching in horror as Akuma put a Shun Goku Satus on Gouken and kill him? Well guess what, Gouken's back. I guess, even though he is there Master, Ryu and Ken didn't respect him enough to actually burry his body and just left him in the woods in his “Coma” even though they have talked about visiting his grave. In fact most of the SF2 characters have the same reason for joining the tournament as they had in SF2, which doesn't make sense considering a lot of these stories were resolved in SF2. For example in SF2 Guile accepted Charlie's Death, and realized that killing Bison wouldn't bring Charlie back, but rather make him a murder just like Bison. So why in SF4 is he still looking for revenge and not believing that Charlie is dead?

Graphics/Sound –

Street Fighter IV is 3D and uses Paint Brush Cel-shaded style. I personally like it, because it's used in away that makes the characters almost look and feel 2D. The characters are of anime proportions. So Ryu's feet and hands are larger than his head, everything is over exaggerated especially the facial expressions when you land hits, But it's a love or hate kind of thing. So look at screen shots and or videos of the game in action and make the call for yourself. The game also had animated cutscenes at the beginning and end of the arcade mode. Most of these are poorly animated, and give very little insight if any into why any of these stories are taking place.

The sound, what can I say about the sound… well the English voiceovers are for the most part terrible but you do have access to Japanese voices and can individually change different characters if you do happen to like some voices more than others, the announcer is annoying and over the top, and the music is average at best. When you have a fight verses your rival, a remix of your fighters classic theme plays, and it's amazing, but other than that the music is uninspiring.

Play Time/Replayability –

Even with my complaints, SF4 is still a competent fighter; I still have fun with it, and have put a lot of time and hours into it. At the time of writing this review, I have owned the game for 7 days. And already I have put 30 hours into it, and the number would be much higher if it wasn't for the fact that I have a full time job.

The online play works very well from a lag perspective. I've had over 200 matches and only experienced lag in about 10 of them. What is wrong with the online play is one, that fact that there is no penalty for disconnecting, no loss on your record, no loss of Battle Points, nothing. Thankfully I've only had about 5 disconnects, but I'm hearing people are doing that a lot more. Capcom says they will be patching the problem in a future update. The other issue is there are no quarter matches or tournament modes what so ever, this is upsetting considering that last two online street fighter games; HD Remix and Hyper Fighting, both had these features. Once again Capcom is supposed to be patching them in.

Final Recommendation –

Even with all that, Street Fighter IV is still a very good game. I'm enjoying playing it, but not any more than I enjoy playing any other Fighting game. The problem is the game was obviously trying to cater to the casual market and the people who had not supported the SF series since part 2, but outside of character selection, it really doesn't. The game isn't any easier or more accessible to play, and in my opinion the changes have done nothing but alienate the hardcore SF community.

1- Abysmal
2- Terrible
3- Poor
4- Mediocre
5- Average
6- Good
7- Very Good
8- Excellent
9- Spectacular
10- Perfect

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/09

Game Release: Street Fighter IV (Collector's Edition) (US, 02/17/09)